How to earn your first gig as a software engineer (Guest Post)

There are multiple ways you can implement to get your first gig as a software engineer.

But before you start applying for gigs you must comprehend the art of software engineering and web development to do so.

Develop a few samples in advance of your work, either a sample of an app or a software which you recently developed or a website which you recently hand-coded for a relative.

As easy as it sounds, getting your first gig can be pretty hard to get while starting off. Because you barely have any networking and you are new to the industry. But if you follow this guide of ours step by step, then you can easily get a hand of your first gig as a software engineer in no time.

Your friends or family members

This is where you can potentially get your first gig, your close friends or family members. As you know them personally, therefore they are much likely to give you your first gig to develop something for them.

It can either be a website or an e-commerce store for a friend. Or a random video game for your relative (Elon Musk created this game named “Blaster” when he was twelve and sold it for $500).

Friends Group

As starting off new you will have to network with others apart from your friends and family members as well, such as friends of friends and their relatives etc. If you have watched the movie “The Social Network” you will see that Mark Zuckerberg got his idea of creating Facebook from a guy at Harvard who offered him a gig to create the site. And that is how you will have to network with other people. You have to tell others that you can code and gain some attention to it.

Through your local store

If there is a well to do store in your local area which gets a reputable amount of sales every month and doesn’t have a website. Then you can simply ask them if you can create a website for them through which they can expand a business online. If you are one of their regular customers, then it’s even better!

You can also go to local schools. And offer them services like making them a software where you can connect students with teachers (This is something which my college did they created this app named “Classtune” where teachers and students can connect with one another).

Or either way, build something innovative for them with a service. If your idea is good, then you can expand this idea to other schools as well.

Find your first gig through freelancing sites

This is the number one way where new software and web developers get their first gigs.

Freelancing sites like Freelancer.com and Upwork.com offer various incentives to developers to get their first gig.

You can not only offer software development opportunities but various services such as photoshopping an image or helping someone with a problem in Windows 10.

Freelancer Software Engineer

But traditionally if you get gigs for software development or App development, then it will be an either making an entire website or an app. You can get up to a month to develop it and the paycheques for them are pretty good as well (you can earn between one to five grand).

Outreach Websites

You can outreach to websites which have an old or outdated design and give them a newer look for a reasonable price. If you outreach a hundred websites then you can get up to five gigs making you over a hundred bucks.

You can also outreach to businesses which lack various features on their website and fix it for them for a reasonable fee. If your work is worth it, then you will be referred to other sites as well in the community.

Advertising

You can invest in Google or Facebook ads to get your first gig. Simply create a good looking Facebook page and give a few samples of the works you have done. Such as a website or software which you recently hand coded.

Social Media Advertisement

And the best part of advertising?

You’ll get targeted people who are actually interested in the services that you offer. And thus they are the ones who are most likely to offer you a gig.

Start an Udemy course

You can start an Udemy course teaching others on how to code and people will potentially buy your courses for a reasonable sum of money. You can start a YouTube channel as well where you can teach others how to develop software or simply how to code and monetize that channel with ads.

Once your Channel gets a reasonable amount of views, you will eventually get offers from various people emailing you to work for them.

How to grow as a software developer?

You will have to keep a portfolio of how much money you want to make every year as a software developer and set a goal.

Also, start a website over your business and also regularly blog on it. Also, grow its branding via social media.

Try to get listed as a Pro freelancer in freelancing sites such as Fiverr and Upwork.

Also, you can partner up with one of your close friends into your freelancing business.

And also you can hire other people as well in case you get a surplus of gigs.

Conclusion

Getting your first gig will be extremely easy if you follow the strategies which we have mentioned in this guide of ours.

If this article benefited you, please give it a small Facebook share.

And also, if you need any help of queries simply comment down below.

Author Bio: Hi! I’m Roy, a regular technology blogger and also a college student who owns the website called Gearchunk. Where I often post content mainly related to Windows 10.

Published by:Anish Tiwari, a professional tech blogger and digital marketing expert with 3+ years of experience in SEO, SMO, Blogging, Content Writing, and strategy planning etc. If you want to feature your company, blogs, and articles on a high-quality guest blogging website, then feel free to contact him or either contact ShouTech directly at shout@shoutech.in to get your company featured at ShouTech.

Anish Tiwari is an SEO/SMO expert and Blogger loves to write and explore newness relates to IT, Search Engines, Web Development, Gadgets etc. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for the glimpses. You can also find me on Twitter and LinkedIn for better communication.

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ShouTech was founded in December 2016 by a Delhi based IGNOU student who has a keen interest in technology, search engines, mobility, IoT, enterprise mobility and loves content writing and interests in blogging mainly.